Blazers 2023-2024 Thread

[Everythingsducky]

Paul is towards the end of his career, but can still seriously help a team like Portland that's in need of a true PG off the bench.

I wouldn't want to pay big $$$ for a backup PG on a guard-heavy team, especially if we end up picking Scoot who could very well become first off the bench behind Dame and Sharpe.

If he gets a buyout I don't think it would cost much. The only problem would be convincing him to come to Portland, and we all know how easy it is to convince high caliber free agents to come here

An injury plagued, short in stature, aged, below average defender? No thanks.

[squintsdd]

Paul is towards the end of his career, but can still seriously help a team like Portland that's in need of a true PG off the bench.

I wouldn't want to pay big $$$ for a backup PG on a guard-heavy team, especially if we end up picking Scoot who could very well become first off the bench behind Dame and Sharpe.

If he gets a buyout I don't think it would cost much. The only problem would be convincing him to come to Portland, and we all know how easy it is to convince high caliber free agents to come here

An injury plagued, short in stature, aged, below average defender? No thanks.

He's actually a pretty decent defender, good veteran leadership for young guys, and coming off the bench would be far less likely to get injured.

[alxtw]

Paul is towards the end of his career, but can still seriously help a team like Portland that's in need of a true PG off the bench.

I wouldn't want to pay big $$$ for a backup PG on a guard-heavy team, especially if we end up picking Scoot who could very well become first off the bench behind Dame and Sharpe.

If he gets a buyout I don't think it would cost much. The only problem would be convincing him to come to Portland, and we all know how easy it is to convince high caliber free agents to come here

An injury plagued, short in stature, aged, below average defender? No thanks.

He's actually a pretty decent defender, good veteran leadership for young guys, and coming off the bench would be far less likely to get injured.

I could picture CP3 taking a huge paycut.....for a contender. At this point in his career, its likely he'd be chasing a ring. If the very unlikely chance that CP3 decides to sign with the blazers on a cheap contract, that would be great for the team! Aside from the leadership, he'd also bring exceptional basketball IQ and would be like a second coach on the team.

[DuckMastaFunk]

Portland isn't interested in zion for 3 trade. There's to much injury history

A talented big man man with a high probability of injuries? Sounds EXACTLY like Blazer material.

[squintsdd]

Portland isn't interested in zion for 3 trade. There's to much injury history

A talented big man man with a high probability of injuries? Sounds EXACTLY like Blazer material.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again... and again... and again... and again

[pezsez1]

A talented big man man with a high probability of injuries? Sounds EXACTLY like Blazer material.

Hey, it worked with Bill Walton.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again... and again... and again... and again

It did succeed the first time! Just not since then.

[Boom]

Woj reporting Brandon Miller will be selected at #2.

[DuckMastaFunk]

Woj reporting Brandon Miller will be selected at #2.

That may be a good thing for the Blazers. I think Scoot has a higher trade value, assuming they want a trade.

[pezsez1]

After thinking this over for days, I've decided the outcomes I'd be happy with are:

1. Drafting/keeping Miller, or
2. Drafting/trading Scoot (or trading the third pick)

I'm just not sold on a 6'2, 19-year-old point guard who shot 40% from the field (and 27% from 3) in the G league. I bet he'll be one of the most entertaining players in the league, but professional basketball is trending toward bigger/longer with deeper shooting. Scoot ain't that. If you're going to be small in this league, then you've got to be deadly from 3. (Dame, Steph, Kyrie, etc.) The ceiling for the alternative is probably Ja Morant, and although he's wildly entertaining the Grizzilies are usually better when he's off the floor.

Miller, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of player the Blazers need. He may not be as flashy, and isn't the same kind of shot creator, but he's shown the potential to be an elite 3-and-D wing. The Blazers could still trade Ant+23 for more sensible rotation depth and -- if Sharpe takes another step forward -- the team could have a puncher's chance by next season.

Excited to see what goes down tomorrow.

[Phalanx]

Really hope Cronin et al are seriously listening to offers for Lillard.

[Phalanx]

Really hope Cronin et al are seriously listening to offers for Lillard.

Apparently not.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status ... 30/photo/1

[pezsez1]

I'm thinking Cronin has trade possibilities queued up featuring either Ant+3 or Ant+23, but nobody may know which way we'll be forced to go until tomorrow.

I'm sure Cronin has an idea of what he could get for Dame.. but if Dame wants to stay and if no other teams are genuinely willing to make trading him worthwhile, then trading him just doesn't really make much sense.

Trying to replace Dame with Scoot Henderson makes even less sense. I see less risk in trading Scoot for Zion.

[Phalanx]

I've been wondering how the Blazers will find a creative way to screw this draft up, having pick #3 almost dictated to them by circumstances. Trading it for Zion would certainly be one way. Just look what that dude is slated to make over the next five years - almost $39 million per year for a guy that is mostly on the sidelines in street clothes at age 22. That trade would pretty much insure that the Blazers would remain irrelevant for the duration of Lillard's tenure here, and then, of course, he could request a trade when they inevitably suck, and he could simply move on while the Blazers are stuck with another albatross contract. The Pels would also be laughing at Portland for years to come for baiting them out of a terrible contract.

Just draft Scoot, let him grow into an NBA role, and trade Lillard at the trade deadline.

[UOducksTK1]

After thinking this over for days, I've decided the outcomes I'd be happy with are:

1. Drafting/keeping Miller, or
2. Drafting/trading Scoot (or trading the third pick)

I'm just not sold on a 6'2, 19-year-old point guard who shot 40% from the field (and 27% from 3) in the G league. I bet he'll be one of the most entertaining players in the league, but professional basketball is trending toward bigger/longer with deeper shooting. Scoot ain't that. If you're going to be small in this league, then you've got to be deadly from 3. (Dame, Steph, Kyrie, etc.) The ceiling for the alternative is probably Ja Morant, and although he's wildly entertaining the Grizzilies are usually better when he's off the floor.

Miller, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of player the Blazers need. He may not be as flashy, and isn't the same kind of shot creator, but he's shown the potential to be an elite 3-and-D wing. The Blazers could still trade Ant+23 for more sensible rotation depth and -- if Sharpe takes another step forward -- the team could have a puncher's chance by next season.

Excited to see what goes down tomorrow.

Memphis without Ja this year: 11-10
Memphis with Ja this year: 40-21

[pezsez1]

The answer is Miller. If he were our pick, I'd feel better about pretty much everything, including trading Dame. Anfernee Simons definitely isn't an all-star caliber player, but at least he's a sniper with room to grow into a steadier distributor. Scoot is just a total gamble and he doesn't have many favorable metrics in his favor. Explosiveness is exciting but only goes so far.

We could draft Scoot and trade Lillard but we'd still be short of a potentially elite big man to anchor the frontcourt -- and the draft looks pretty weak over the next couple years, so not really any huge benefit to being in the lottery.

If we could trade that 3rd pick for a frontcourt stud (even Zion) to run with Dame for 2-3 years then we really might have a shot to make some noise. And if it fails, then we suck for a few years a little later on down the road instead of sucking for a few more years right now. I really don't see any downside to going for it now.

Also -- and this isn't directed at you, Duck07, because I've not even seen you raise this concern -- but lots of people think the Blazers don't stand a chance against the top teams right now (specifically the Nuggets). Well, news flash for those folks: The Nuggets could be around for the next decade, and soon they'll be challenged by the Wemby-led Spurs.

The future won't magically be any easier.

That's why I say if the deal is there, then make it. Take the shot. It might be a small window but still a window, and windows don't come around often for small-market teams. Last time Blazers had a real shot with a powerful roster was like 20 years ago. Before that, it was roughly a decade earlier. Before that, another 15 years earlier.

It's far, far easier to sit back and rebuild than it is to take advantage of the moment.